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The Development Of Modern Astronomy Essay

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The Development of Modern Astronomy
From the beginning of time, culture has defined the human race. Many belief systems and discoveries have influence both ancient and modern culture. Some of the major influences on culture are advancements in mathematics, religion and astrology. These advancements have resulted in the development in modern astronomy. The Webster’s dictionary defines astrology as the study of the supposed influence of planets and stars on the course of human affairs. Mathematics is the study of numbers, their form, arrangement, and associated relationships, using rigorously defined literal, numerical, and operational symbols. (Webster, 1996) Many scholars and cultures have contributed to the modern science of astronomy through their findings by studying the universe and use of mathematics. Many cultures have based their religious rituals and beliefs solely on the study of astronomy.
Cultures have been diverse in their uses and possession of mathematics. Their understanding of astrology and its relationship to astronomy has evolved over time. The science of astrology has been developed for nearly 5,000 years. Many cultures believe that all the stars, planets, sun and moon form the celestial bodies have a great influence on human beings and their lives. It is believed that astrology got its origin in Babylon and Mesopotamia around 2000BC. The ancient Greek astrology began about 2400 years ago.
Ancient Greek astrology was not as concerned with the relationship between celestial bodies and the human life as they were these celestial bodies and the effect on agriculture since farming was very important to the culture. These astrologers studied the course of rivers which would influence the fertility of soil. They studied the effects of floods and began to predict natural calamities such as drought, famine, earthquakes, floods and plague based on the celestial bodies. (Zeitler, 2009)
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